Vernon Johnson Mwaanga (born 1944) is a Zambian diplomat and politician.

Life

Born near Choma, Mwaanga studied political science and international relations in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. In October 1964 he became Zambia's first diplomat, as deputy high commissioner in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He was ambassador to

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

in 1965, before returning to Zambia for two years, handling negotiations with

Rhodesia Rhodesia (, ), officially from 1970 the Republic of Rhodesia, was an unrecognised state in Southern Africa from 1965 to 1979, equivalent in territory to modern Zimbabwe. Rhodesia was the ''de facto'' successor state to the British colony of S ...

as the president's permanent secretary. From 1966 to January 1972 Mwangaa was ambassador to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. In 1972 he was appointed editor of the ''

Times of Zambia The ''Times of Zambia'' is a national daily newspaper published in Zambia and headquartered in Ndola. During the colonial period the newspaper was known firstly as ''The Copperbelt Times'' and then ''The Northern News'' It was a twice-weekly news ...

''. From 1973 to 1975 he was

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

. During his tenure as foreign affairs minister for the

Kenneth Kaunda Kenneth David Kaunda (28 April 1924 – 17 June 2021), also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first President of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the struggle for independence from British rule. Dissat ...

regime, he played a key role in Zambian relations with the United States. Partly because of his diplomatic efforts, Kaunda was invited to the White House for important talks with

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

in April 1975. Furthermore, it was Mwaanga who first invited U.S. secretary of state

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

to come to Zambia, which Kissinger ended up doing several times in 1976 to deliver a landmark speech and participate in discussions regarding the Rhodesian conflict.Andy DeRoche, ''Kenneth Kaunda, the United States and Southern Africa'' (London: Bloomsbury, 2016), especially 8, 21-29, and 73-78. In 1976 Mwaanga left politics for the private sector. In 1980 he became chairman of the new Zambian subsidiary of the

Bank of Credit and Commerce International The Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) was an international bank founded in 1972 by Agha Hasan Abedi, a Pakistani financier. The bank was registered in Luxembourg with head offices in Karachi and London. A decade after opening, BCC ...

. As chairman of the Zambia Industrial and Commercial Association (ZINCOM), a consortium of entrepreneurs, he published criticisms of the government. Arrested on charges involving the alleged smuggling of

Mandrax Methaqualone is a hypnotic sedative. It was sold under the brand names Quaalude ( ) and Sopor among others, which contained 300 mg of methaqualone, and sold as a combination drug under the brand name Mandrax, which contained 250 mg met ...

in 1985, he resigned the chairmanship of BCCI-Zambia, although the charges were never proven and he was released without trial in April 1986. Mwaanga was a founding member of the

Movement for Multi-Party Democracy The Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) also known as New Hope MMD is a political party in Zambia. Originally formed to oust the previous government, MMD controlled an absolute majority in parliament between 1991 and 2001, when its past lead ...

, and after the party's victory in the 1991 elections served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1991 to 1994. He was

Minister of Information An information minister (also called minister of information) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with information matters; it is often linked with censorship and propaganda. Sometimes the position is given to ...

from 1999 to 2002. After the 2006 elections he was reinstated as Minister of Information until his resignation in April 2007 over video footage showing him supporting

breach-of-contract Breach of contract is a legal cause of action and a type of civil wrong, in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other part ...

claims being made by a Congolese governor against the Zambian government.

Chronology

* 1944 - Born, June 25 * 1964 - Deputy High Commissioner * 1965 - Ambassador to the Soviet Union * 1968 - Ambassador to the United Nations * 1973 - Minister of Foreign Affairs (Zambia) * 1976 - Left politics

Books

*''An Extraordinary Life'', Multimedia Publications, 1982. No ISBN *''The Other Society : A Detainee’s Diary'', Fleetfoot Pub. Co., c1986. No ISBN *''The Long Sunset : My Reflections'', Fleetfoot Pub. Co., 2008.

References

1939 births Living people Zambian diplomats Permanent Representatives of Zambia to the United Nations Ambassadors of Zambia to the Soviet Union Movement for Multi-Party Democracy politicians Foreign Ministers of Zambia Members of the National Assembly of Zambia Information and Broadcasting Services ministers of Zambia {{Zambia-politician-stub